Luigi's ghost
by TheVenetianHarper
Summary: Luigi knows something is wrong when he sees his friends standing in front of his own memorial statue.
1. Luigi's Ghost

Luigi looked on as Mario, Peach, Daisy and Toad stood in front of a memorial statue, resembling himself. The memorial was decorated with gold coins and flowers, gifts to the dearly departed. Both Toad and Daisy were overcome with grief, crying non-stop.

Princess Peach supported Daisy, trying to comfort her; her own eyes were red from crying, trying to restrain her sadness. Mario stood motionless in front of the statue, instead not looking at it, but staring into the distance, a blank expression on his face. It seemed as though a part of him died along with Luigi, and now broken and unsure, all he could do was try and figure out what was happening, or what to do next. To Luigi the world seemed darker, the colour of the environment dulled. He did not know what was happening, or what his brother and friends were doing.

He looked down at himself and was terrified. His body was barely there, his feet never touching the ground. "Mario! Princess Peach! Toad! Daisy?" he tried to call out, but they didn't turn. It seemed they didn't hear him, or simply didn't notice him. He was dismayed. Why were they ignoring him? What was going on? Suddenly he heard chattering behind him, then a cackling that made him stop. He looked behind him to see a crowd of boos, with King Boo at the front.

They hovered in the air, staring at him. What struck him as strange was their appearance. Instead of their tongues hanging out and their teeth bared as they usually would, their mouths were closed, and were smiling. This unnerved him greatly, and he was so convinced that they were going to capture him that he turned back to his friends. He looked at Mario, who was still standing in front of the memorial, ignorant of what was going on.

Mario had always been there for him, had always been there by his side. He would know what to do, he always did. And now Luigi needed him more than ever. "Mario!" he cried, waving his arms, "the boos are here!"

He tried to run toward him, but he found he couldn't move, "Mario! help me!"

But it was no use. Even his brother couldn't hear anything but the bawling of his friends and the faint cool breeze. Luigi felt a cold hand on his shoulder and he spun around, shaking.

King Boo stared at him for a moment in silence. Then he spoke up, and Luigi was surprised to find he could understand him. "We've been waiting for you Luigi," King Boo said in a hissy whisper, "it's time to come with us." Luigi was confused. How could he understand King Boo without a Boo mushroom? It had been a while since he had one. He looked around at the boos closing in in anticipation of another newcomer. The ghosts who were rumoured to have once been alive, with personalities and dreams, the ghosts who lost their identities and all became the same, forever causing mischief and torment to everyone else.

Then an idea came to Luigi and horrified him. It all came together and he faintly remembered a mission, an accident, pain, a scream, and then nothing. But even that was fading away from his mind as the ghosts all began to surround him, save King Boo, who stayed where he was, watching. Luigi turned to Mario in a desperate panic, "Mario!" he pleaded, "help me! Please, help me! Save me!"

To his joy Mario finally, and slowly, lifted his head and looked in his direction. His eyes were dull and lifeless, but to Luigi they burned like white fire, his life piercing through his eyes and freezing Luigi like stone. Luigi's eyes seemed to turn small and black from the horrible exposure, and he brought his hands up to cover them as the boos pulled him away.


	2. Chapter 2

The boo ghost hid in the shadows, waiting. Others were around, but they were farther away, hiding and hovering. They were eagerly awaiting the next visitor. But the one ghost, he was busy thinking. He found it a funny thing that he could faintly feel the weight of a cap on top of his head. But the feeling dwindled by the passing second and he wasn't so sure anymore. Wasn't he forgetting something else, too? A name? What was it again? Something important. Lugi? Lugio? He tried to remember for a moment then gave up. It didn't really matter. There was mischief to be made and someone was bound to walk by. In the darkness of the place he found comfort in the feeling that he belonged. The boos took him in when he was alone and he couldn't be more grateful. Never mind the spark of sadness that he couldn't shake off. But they had told him it was just a remnant of the feelings he had from the time he was alive, and that it would soon pass. He was still curious about that. What was he like alive? Did he have brothers or sisters? Friends? All he could remember was one name, though he didn't know who it belonged to. Was it someone he loved? Hated? When nothing more than blurred images and voices came up in his mind, he stuck out his tongue with disinterest. That didn't matter either. He was a boo now, and he couldn't wait to scare whoever came by. As if on cue someone rushed in, squat and stocky; a little man in red, showing not a shred of hesitance. He seemed very familiar to the boo, possibly someone important. The ghost drew close, ready to pounce; mouth agape with bared teeth and a lolling tongue. He couldn't help but giggle a little in anticipation. The little man had stopped running a little ways away, his back to the boo. He stood still for a second, then suddenly he turned around. The ghost saw a little of his face before halting and covering his eyes. This happened before, the boo thought. The eyes of the living always burned like white fire, and it hurt to be looked at. It was what made his eyes so small and burnt black, and they couldn't bear to look anymore. But something in him told him that the face belonged to someone he knew very well. That face, he recognized that face. He forced himself to pull his hands away a little and take a peek at the man on more time. He had to know. Because that name came up again in his mind, louder than ever and he couldn't ignore it: Mario.

…

Mario ran into that cold, dark and silent place. He couldn't stop now; he felt he was so close to his goal. His friends tried to console him, tried to stop him from going. It was too late, they told him. Luigi was gone. It was best to let him go and move on; to remember the man as best as they could for as long as they lived. But Mario would have none of it, not after what had happened before Luigi's death. It was a mission just like any other, but he could never have imagined it would end like it did. He could still remember with pain their last conversation together:

"I can't do it, Mario! It's too far!"

"You have to jump, Luigi. Come on!"

"I can't!"

"You can do it, Luigi. It's not so far."

"But Mario I…I'm so tired…"

"We can't waste any time. Just jump!"

And Luigi did. But his terrified face was the last Mario saw of him before Luigi's energy had run out and he plummeted to the fiery depths below. Mario was overcome with grief and despair, and it took him a long time before he pulled himself together. At first he wouldn't accept Luigi's passing. Then he couldn't stop thinking that it was his fault, for a long time. He shouldn't have made Luigi jump; he shouldn't have been so determined. He should have celebrated every one of Luigi's victories; he should've taken Luigi with him more on his adventures, to make him feel more like a hero and less like Mario's second shadow. Though they were the Mario brothers, Luigi was always just 'Mario's brother.' Mario knew Luigi looked up to him, and he let him down. These punishing thoughts brought fresh tears to the plumber's eyes and he wiped them away. He was here for the most important mission of his life and he would follow through with it. He tightened his grip around the end of the Poltergust 5000. He would find and capture all the boos he could, little by little, until he got the right one. He would find Luigi. Mario would find his brother, capture him, and find a way to bring him back to life. He swore to himself he would succeed. Luigi had to come back, and then Mario would tell him he was sorry, and never let him go. He finally stopped running to look around and figure out where to go next, scanning the place with his eyes. Amongst all the shadows and silence he could feel something follow him, and giggle softly. He turned around to face it and immediately felt a ray of hope. It was a boo but it was peeking out at him like it knew him, and he could see something on top its head. More ghostly than the ghost, it was the faintest outline of a cap similar to Mario's, with the shape of an 'L' on the front.

(author's note: When I wrote the first chapter I was convinced it was the last one as well. I hope you enjoy this somewhat random addition to the story.)


	3. Chapter 3

Through the corridors and platforms, Mario pursued the fleeing ghost. He could barely see it as it turned around corner after corner, but he never slowed his pace. Other boos watched the spectacle from nooks and crannies afar, wary of the Poltergust 5000. Mario seemed to dare any to get close to him with a fleeting glare, but none did so. They could see he was here for the one ghost, the recently deceased Luigi. The one boo was panicking like crazy, not knowing where he was going but not caring, so long as he was kept away from that machine. He didn't know why he was so afraid, but the warning whispers of the boos nearby reassured him that he was right to feel that way. Mario was tired from having run so long, but his endurance helped him to keep going. He was calling out to the ghost, "Luigi! Luigi, stop! It's me! I'm here to help you!" The ghost tried to ignore him, flying wherever it could to distance him from the pursuer. He went into the wall into another place, feeling he had lost him now. Mario stopped then, seeing him disappear. He briefly looked around before choosing a direction to go. The boo rested, cackling at the wall and sticking out his tongue. Ha! That'll teach the little red man; There's no way he would know where he went now, he thought. But when he turned toward the door, there was Mario standing in the doorway, annoyed as much as an Italian plumber can be. The ghost squeaked and covered his eyes again, feeling the man's glare upon him. "Did you think that was going to work?" Mario said, stepping inside, Poltergust 5000 at the ready, "I'm not taking my eyes off you again."

"What do you want?" the boo whimpered, "leave me alone."

"I'm here to save you! I'm here to bring you back home…"

"Save me from what? My home is here."

Mario stared confusedly at this ghost for a moment before realization dawning on him, "you don't remember…?" The ghost huffed, "they said I wasn't supposed to remember. That everything would be better, so much better…"

"You don't remember me? It's me, Mario!"

"I don't know who you are, and I don't care," the boo snapped, still covering his eyes. Mario stood there, silent. After what seemed like minutes of silence he spoke again, softly, "your name is Luigi. I'm your brother, Mario. There's Toad…Princess Peach…Daisy…you remember Daisy, right?" His voice seemed pleading, almost desperate. The ghost hesitated before peeking out, "…what?"

"We went on many missions together," Mario continued, moving closer, "we saved Peach from Bowser many times. You remember Bowser too, right? I don't think you could ever forget him. And dear old Yoshi?" Mario was trying everything he could think of to jog the boo's memory. With hope he saw the faint outline of a cap on the ghost's head begin to appear more solid, more colourful. The ghost was muttering to himself, "Luigi…yes that was it...Daisy…Toad…"

"And you remember this?" Mario asked, holding up the Poltergust 5000 for Luigi to see, "Professor E. Gadd gave this to you once. Remember E. Gadd? He helped you save me once!"

"Yes…yes, E. Gadd…" Luigi whispered. Mario began to tremble, "and do you remember…what happened the day you died…?"

"The day…I…" Luigi's voice halted. He began to shake, "no…no no no! No I don't want to remember that! Make it stop!" He began to cry and shriek, tearing at the ghostly cap on his head. Everywhere in the mansion there was silence, save for Luigi's anguish. Mario looked on in horror as his brother's form seemed to slowly turn into a shade of black. Were there consequences to recovering your memories as a boo? "The fall…the fire…it burned so much!" Luigi cried, "you told me to jump…and I did…and it burned everything off! It was the worst pain!"

"Luigi!" Mario ran up, trying to shake him out of it; try to stop whatever bad thing was happening, "don't think of that! Think of…think of our victories! Saving our friends! Going on our adventures! Our sports competitions? You loved those, right? Remember the races?" Luigi seemed to calm a little as those memories came back to him, "yes…yes those were nice…"

"Remember E. Gadd! He was very fond of you," Mario continued quickly, "and Daisy, she cares for you! No…they ALL care for you. They all miss you very much."

"I…I was there…at the memorial," Luigi whispered, "I saw…I didn't know what was going on…" Mario hesitated, thinking, "that…was immediately after the mission. You must've regained consciousness then. I…I think I saw you there! I thought I was seeing things!"

"They took me away then…" suddenly Luigi's form lightened and became skinner and longer. Mario stepped away, tears coming to his eyes from relief. There stood before him was the bright, transparent figure of Luigi as he was before his death, cap and all. Luigi was still covering his eyes, but for a different reason. He was sobbing, "I didn't understand why you didn't hear me…why you couldn't see me…then I saw the boos and I was so afraid. But they took me away…and I realized I was dead." He sniffled, "I failed you Mario…I tried so hard to jump…and I couldn't do it." Mario felt like crying himself. He held his brother as best as he could, Luigi's body feeling little more than cold air to him, "you were wonderful, Luigi. You did great. I…I pushed you too hard. I believed that if I just told you to do something, you'd be able to do it. It just…it just made you disappear, in the end." Mario pulled away with Luigi looking at him with teary eyes, "there's not a day that goes by…when I don't wish I was a better brother to you. When I should've told you, you did a wonderful job…to thank you…to say you're a hero Luigi…or to say I loved you." Mario hiccupped then, wiping away the tears from his eyes. "Mario…" Luigi was close to crying again, but he was smiling. Mario looked back up at him, "I want…I want to take you back home."

"Back home?" Luigi frowned, "but Mario, I'm dead. I belong to the world of the boos now…they said it's the natural order…"

"But it doesn't have to be like that!" Mario argued, "It hurts too much to have you gone. I've done you wrong. And Professor E. Gadd…he thinks he can create a machine to bring the dead back to life!"

"R…really?"

"Yes! He said as long as we have the boo, and if the boo has his memories, it's possible!"

Luigi's chin trembled, "but I got myself killed…I failed the mission for both of us…I'm better off-"

"Don't say you're better off dead!" Mario cried, "don't you dare." Mario took a moment to calm down before speaking again in a calmer tone, "it wasn't your fault…don't you worry about it, okay? Accidents happen sometimes…it's unavoidable." The red man looked at Luigi with a sad smile, "even if it DID end badly for both of us…if you're gone…it won't be the 'Mario Bros.' anymore, you know?" Luigi stared, "Mario…"

"Please Luigi. Everyone wants you back home, even if they won't admit it. I'll take you back safe and sound in the Poltergust 5000. No boo will ever be able to drag you back here, or wherever it was they took you. You'll be okay…I promise. I'll protect you…" Mario pleads quietly, "please…" Luigi stared for a moment, thinking. Mario began to get worried after a minute of silence. Did Luigi want to stay and return to being a boo? Finally, Luigi smiled, "It was nice…forgetting for a little while. Having no care in the world. But…I think it'll be okay…to return for a bit longer." He gestured Mario to go ahead, squeezing his eyes shut. Mario grinned happily and turned on the Poltergust 5000, "thank you Luigi…thank you…" The machine began to pull Luigi in, and Luigi could only think about how it was just like how he was alive. How they were going to go on another adventure once more, as the incredible Mario Brothers.

(author's note: Thank you all very much for your interest in this story...and for your patience. I'm sure some of you have waited for a more satisfactory ending. The reason it took so long is because after every chapter, I believed it was the last one. As the comments came in I became inspired to let the story grow a bit more. But now I believethis is where it stops. I hope you enjoyed reading this. And I appreciate your feedback. Happy reading~)


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